Is it Cheaper to make or buy a Key Lime Pie?

Some people only think of Key Lime Pie as a summer dessert, but a tangy sweet pie in winter is awesome too! Most pies at the holidays can be very dense and filling to a light airy dessert is a welcome change.

My husband loves Key Lime Pie and regularly want to buy one at the bakery. We have had many discussions about which way is cheaper to get a Key Lime Pie on a budget. Let’s settle the discussion for good and do a cost breakdown of if it is cheaper to make or buy a key lime pie!

How much does it cost to make a key lime pie?

There are three main components to a Key Lime Pie: the crust, the lime filling, and the whipped topping. For this cost breakdown we will be using a simple recipe from Food Network. Click here for the full recipe.

Homemade Key Lime Pie Ingredients:	Cost
For the Crust:
1/3 box of 1lb box graham crackers	$0.85
5 tbsp butter	$0.70
1/3 cup sugar	$0.10
For the Filling:
3 egg yolks	$0.56
2 tsp lime zest	$0.38
1 can sweetened condensed milk	$1.94
2/3 cup Key Lime juice (1lb bag of key limes)	$2.98
For the topping:
1 cup heavy cream	$1.29
2 tbsp powdered sugar	$0.03
Total Cost for Homemade Key Lime Pie:	$8.83

The total cost to make a basic Key Lime Pie at home is about $8.83. That is not a bad total for a dessert, but we can actually lower this cost down a little.

Instead of buying sweetened condensed milk, we can make it ourselves for about $1.04. Check out “Is it Cheaper to make or buy Sweetened Condensed Milk?“

If you are unable to find specifically Key Limes or Key Lime juice, you can use regular lime juice. Our Walmart regularly has a 15oz bottle of lime juice for $1.00.

You may think it is cheaper to just buy whipped cream instead of making it, but we found out the homemade version is actually much cheaper! Check out “Is it cheaper to make your own Whipped Cream?

What about the graham cracker crust? It is actually cheaper it make it yourself rather than buy it unless you find one on sale for less than $1.00 each. Find out more “Is it Cheaper to make or buy a Graham Cracker Crust?“

If we made the sweetened condensed milk ourselves and used a bottle of lime juice, this would make our homemade Key Lime Pie only cost $5.95. (That’s a 32% savings!)

How much does it cost to buy a key lime pie?

Now let’s find out how much it costs to buy a premade Key Lime Pie and see if our homemade version is cheaper! Most pies at the grocery store will be in the bakery section or the frozen foods section.

Premade Key Lime Pie	Store	Price
34 oz Key Lime Pie	Publix	$10.49
24oz Kenny’s All-Natural Key Lime Pie	Kroger	$8.99
9 inch Key Lime Pie	The Fresh Market	$16.99
36oz Edwards Key Lime Pie	Target	$8.29
8 inch Pie Gue Key Lime Pie	Hannaford	$12.29
30.4 oz Marie Callendar’s Key Lime Pie	Ingles Market	$8.98
68 oz Kirkland Signature Key Lime Pie	Costco	$19.89
24oz Key Lime Pie	Walmart	$6.98
	Average Cost of Premade Key Lime Pie:	$11.61

The average cost of a premade Key Lime Pie at the grocery store will cost about $11.61. This means it is cheaper to make a Key Lime Pie at home rather than buy one!

It is worth noting that the frozen Key Lime Pie from Target for $8.29 and the fresh Key Lime Pie from Walmart for $6.98 came out cheaper than a homemade pie ($8.83).

If we use the cost saving options I mentioned above, then the homemade Key Lime Pie will only cost $5.95 and that will be the cheapest option!

Is homemade Key Lime Pie worth it?

When I was younger, I would pass on a Key Lime Pie and go for a chocolate dessert, but now that I am older, I actually like and choose the humble Key Lime Pie. The flavor is sweet and tangy but not overwhelming.

I love the convenience of a frozen pie or even a fresh from the bakery pie, but I don’t care for the hefty price tag.

If I were to find a super deal on a Key Lime Pie where it will be less than $5.00 then I will probably go ahead and buy it at the store.

On the other hand, if I see Key Lime Pies are more than $7.00, I will probably just go ahead, and it make it myself. It may not look as beautiful, but it will definitely taste awesome!

For more cost breakdowns of making vs buying, check out “Is it Cheaper to make or buy Chex Mix?” and “Is it Cheaper to make or buy Guacamole?“